Wedding cabinet

This wardrobe’s quality and exuberant decoration make it an extraordinary example of rural French furniture. It testifies to the enrichment of a segment of the peasantry in the late 18th century and the 19th century, especially in Normandy, which profited from its proximity to Paris. During this era, a wardrobe was prestigious furniture, borrowed from the upper classes, the bourgeoisie and the gentry. Ordered from specialized craftsmen, selected motifs from a limited repertory (birds, garlands and plants) are assembled on stencils. However, the trophy designs sculpted with slight relief in the medallions in the middle of the doors provided the opportunity to order a more personal piece from the woodworker, adding agricultural tools, wine or harvest related items, or even a depiction of the newlyweds. As was often the case, this example mixes elements of Louis XV (flowering basket and curved feet) and Louis XVI (symmetry, garland, fluting and beaded patterns) styles. This was somewhat behind the Court and the bourgeoisie, who had already abandoned the Ancien Régime’s styles by around 1800, in favour of Empire style.

A wedding cabinet was often part of the wife’s dowry, which is why they were frequently adorned with symbols of marital bliss and prosperity for the home. Here, doves are shown kissing each other, surrounded by a wreath and a garland of flowers. This image is very common on this type of furniture, although here its relief is incredibly pronounced and it appears to be overflowing copiously from the pediment onto the doors.